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Chapter 31
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2022-04-19 14:02:46Related chapters
Counterbalance Chapter 32
She chewed her lip and figured if anyone would understand, it would be Xavier. He'd spent his adolescent years awkwardly getting by and most of his adulthood questioning who he could truly trust. Or, rather, who liked him as a person versus just for his money.After a sip of wine for courage, she opened a door she'd closed long ago. "Brian and Mark met in boot camp and came up the ranks together. My brother brought him home on leave, and we just kind of...came together. There wasn't a moment or anything, he was simply there. I think I was convenient at first. At least, in his mind. A few weeks later, they reported for their first tour, and I got to know him better through emails than we did face-to-face." She smiled, gaze lost on her plate. "I fell in love with him through the computer. Is that stupid?""Not at all." He frowned, jaw ticking. "Go on."Since he seemed more concerned than tense, she rubbed her forehead. "We continued the relationship for a couple years. We'd see each o
Last Updated : 2022-04-19Counterbalance Chapter 33
With one hand on the wheel, Xavier rested his elbow on the window well and rubbed his lips in thought while he drove his Jag through the rain-soaked streets. A yellow glow from the lampposts hit the drops on his hood and windshield. Somehow, it escaped his notice it had stormed while they'd been in the restaurant. He supposed he'd had his own storm brewing.Peyton had forever and always maintained the ability to clobber him with the equivalent of an emotional battering ram. Yet, the stuff she'd told him tonight about her former fiancé sat like battery acid in his gut. Not only had her whole family been wiped out and she'd lost a man she loved, but Xavier was starting to get a full HD view of the extent of her loneliness. And it had begun long before Mark shot himself.Xavier was no expert, but he'd been raised by two parents who loved each other to the ends of the earth. He'd been surrounded by affection. How Peyton described her relationship with Mark didn't sound like love. It lean
Last Updated : 2022-04-19Counterbalance Chapter 34
Her grin widened. "Then why are you standing by the bed?"He had no clue. To savor? Download this exact moment to his memory in case he was dreaming?Stripping out of his pants and briefs, he crawled across the mattress and straddled her. Her satisfied smirk punched the breath from his lungs. "You're really beautiful, you know that?" Weight on his arms, he leaned down and kissed her throat, her chin."I do now," she panted, tilting her head to give him better access.He saved that comment to ask her about later and kissed his way to her breasts. He could spend a decade on her chest alone. He took one beaded tip in his mouth and sucked hard. She wrapped her arms around his head as if to hold him there. Like he had any plans to move. Testing her, he bit her nipple, wondering if she wanted fast and hard or long and slow their first time. She'd responded to both his reckless, desperate side and his more gentle, controlled one, but that hadn't been during sex. Normally, he'd take hi
Last Updated : 2022-04-19Counterbalance Chapter 35
Perched on the vanity counter in Xavier's bathroom, Peyton swung her legs and waited while he took out his contacts. She'd already removed hers and brushed her teeth. He'd thrown on a pair of black briefs and had her slip into his button-down shirt he'd worn earlier. The casualness of their undress, plus the domestic scene of their toothbrushes beside one another's, kept tripping her mental focus.It wasn't as if she hadn't been in a relationship before. It had just been a long time. Mark's toiletries had shared space with hers, but he'd been gone so much that it hadn't seemed real sometimes. He'd been as much a ghost in her life as her parents' memory.This...was different. Every experience with Xavier was different. From the way he touched her to how he spoke, he gave the impression she wasn't simply someone beside him sharing oxygen or a warm body to pass time. Rather, he saw her, the woman. Inside, out, up, down, throughout...and every crevice in between. And he apparently liked
Last Updated : 2022-04-19Counterbalance Chapter 36
"Yes." God, the way he spoke to her. Like years of frustration and bindings had broken free, and he needed nothing more than to dominate.He kissed her nape, her shoulders, and raised himself only enough to create space with little margin for error. His hand slid down her spine, past her crevice, and between her legs. He groaned as he spread her slickness, coated his fingers. "So wet for me.""Yes." She ground against his hand, needing more, yet he avoided where she wanted him most. A sharp tingle shot through her. "Xavier."He removed his hand and she whimpered in protest. "Shh. I know what you want." The thick head of his shaft rubbed between her folds. He surged forward, filling her in one deft thrust, and stilled. "I know what you need."Fuller than she'd ever been, she pressed her face into the mattress and fisted the sheets. Even with the slight ache from him stretching her, it was so, so good. He knew what she wanted? Needed? Absolutely. Beyond all doubt. And like no one e
Last Updated : 2022-04-19Counterbalance Chapter 37
Xavier strummed his fingers on the chair in Peyton's office and waited for her to finish a phone conversation with his mother. They'd been at it twenty minutes, going over the final details for the Fallen Veterans fundraiser tomorrow, and he'd forgotten why he'd come in here in the first place."The mask is beautiful. It matches the dress we picked out. I can't wait for you to see it." She laughed into the receiver.He eyed the ceiling. No matter how many times he'd asked over the past few weeks, she'd refused to even tell him so much as the color of her gown. He understood why curiosity killed the cat. Whatever the style, she'd look better out of it. They'd both been busy as of late, only able to hook up on the weekends, and it was driving him batshit. Every morning, he woke up without her in his bed, and it only cemented the notion she should move in with him. The conversation had been on the tip of his tongue since they'd made love but, for whatever reason, he'd remained silent.
Last Updated : 2022-04-19Counterbalance Chapter 38
Her jaw dropped, and she blinked. Once. Twice.He sighed. "Let me start over. I miss you when you're not around and I'm sick of sneaking moments with you. My house is unbearably empty without you there. I think about you constantly. Please consider moving in with me." Not so much as a muscle twitch. Great. He'd rendered her catatonic. "Blink once for yes or twice for no."Well, she didn't blink, but she did press a hand to her forehead and say "Oh God" somewhere in the vicinity of thirty times. She stalked to the other side of the room and paced. The click-click of her heels matched his heart rate. "Would you say something, at least?" Panic tripped his pulse. "And I don't mean Oh God.""We haven't even..." She waved her hand as if unable to conjure words."Haven't what? Gone public? Vacationed together? Skydived out of a perfectly good airplane?" He ran a hand through his hair. "Help me out, honey. You're usually the calm one. I'm not liking the role reversal and" "We haven't d
Last Updated : 2022-04-19Counterbalance Chapter 39
With an hour to spare, Peyton climbed out of the car Xavier had sent, adjusted her dress, and snuck in the back entrance to the Fallen Veterans masquerade ball. She'd had him do the same thing thirty minutes ago when he'd arrived to avoid any rumors that they hadn't come together. The press liked to pounce on any little thing and twist a story. Tonight was about charity.She worked her way through the back rooms and into the upper foyer, handing her coat and purse to an attendant. Behind her was the main lobby. Ahead, the ballroom was down a set of marble stairs and surrounded by a wrought iron terrace on the second level. From her position, she glanced below at the open floor plan and smiled.Lovely. Just lovely.An enormous chandelier rained from a vaulted ceiling, the lighting set low. A platform was up front with a podium and a couple chairs. Pictures on easels displayed previous events and some of the soldiers they'd helped. In front of the staging area was a small dance floor
Last Updated : 2022-04-19
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Counterbalance Chapter 48
He smiled. "You wanted me to think about some things, and I have.""X, you don't" "Yes, I do. If only to assuage any doubts you have left." He pulled a deep breath and faced her. "Standing right over there is your family. Blood doesn't always play a part. They love you as much as you love them, and not out of obligation. You have never been an obligation to me, either." His throat worked a swallow. "I want to extend our family someday with our own kids. Yes, part of that is to give back what was taken from you, but the majority of the reason is because you deserve to get everything you want and someone like you, who has so much to offer, should be surrounded by as much family as possible. There is no better way for me to show you how much I love you than to have children."Oh God, this man. More tears pooled in her eyes, and she was going to dehydrate if he continued at this rate. Shaking, all she could do was stare at him and hope he understood her lack of response was due to th
Counterbalance Chapter 47
Peyton had a ten-and-a-half hour flight to France, five lonely nights in the city of love, and another ten-plus hour flight back to the States to think about nothing but Xavier Gaines.She'd broken her own rule and had read the magazine article while drinking an espresso at a café table. Daniel had quoted both of them about various topics from their discussion. But his own take and summary was what had thrown her for a loop.I fully expected to walk into my interview with this corporate giant and be met with crisp, concise answers and clipped disregard. Instead, I got a glimpse of a man who doesn't solely see opportunities to make money, but ways to enhance the compassion inside us all and force others to take a stand for what's right. It's apparent in the way his staff look and speak to him that there is respect and, perhaps, a little fear motivating them. One can't run an enterprise such as his without those elements. But under the spit and polish, I found something completely lack
Counterbalance Chapter 46
"Yes. I'm giving you a raise and promoting you to personal assistant for myself and Miss Smoke. I'll have HR hire for a secretarial position." They could use the extra hands and he'd been on Peyton to get an assistant. Some of her work could be delegated and, when she got back from wherever the hell she was, he planned to spend as much time with her as possible. He trusted Jackie. Plus, she was smart and efficient. She was too talented to waste answering phones. Problem solved.Her jaw dropped. "Um, thank you, sir."He nodded, and she went back to her desk up front. He glanced at Joseph and did a double-take at his smirk. "What?""You're all grown up now. My, they get big so fast." Joseph mock-sniffed and pretended to wipe a tear from his cheek.Xavier narrowed his eyes. "I'm not amused.""Okay, seriously." Joseph leaned forward. "Blondie asked you to evaluate. The way I see it? You're more than capable of handling yourself without her, which is all I think she wantedfor you to
Counterbalance Chapter 45
By the end of the workday on Monday, Xavier had given Peyton all the space he was going to allow. She hadn't been joking when she'd said she was taking off this week. At his arrival in the office this morning, her schedule had been cleared. In preparation for tomorrow's magazine article release, she'd left instructions for the front desk not to patch through any press calls to his secretary.That was that. Nothing else. And he'd had to hear that little amount from Jackie.He pounded on Peyton's apartment door and waited with his clenched fists on his hips. Two days, and he was losing his mind. She hadn't answered one text or voicemail. He hadn't slept more than a handful of scattered hours, never mind having an appetite. When he received no response, he pounded again and yelled her name. He knew she was home. Her car was in the designated parking space. He'd checked. Yesterday and today."She's not here."He whirled to find Kate standing in the doorway to her apartment across the
Counterbalance Chapter 44
That was the crux of both their issues, in her opinion. His fear of losing his anchor and her fear of being alone. She'd been just seventeen when her parents died. Ever since then, she'd played it safe. So safe, she'd been ready to marry a guy she didn't love with her whole heart. And years later, she was about to go all-in with a man who owned her soul, but who may not love her for the right reasons. It wasn't fair to him for her to stay with him if he was another safe bet. "Peyton?" He stepped forward and stopped, concern and tension wrinkling his brow.It came to her, suddenly and like a blow, what they should do. He was going to flip out, but it was the right thing. She rubbed her forehead and focused on his chest. "I know its last minute, but I'm going to take off work next week. Use a few of my vacation days.""Okay," he hedged and crossed his arms. "Why? Do you need to pack up the apartment so soon?""No." God, her heart thumped so hard the room spun. "We need some distan
Counterbalance Chapter 43
Peyton pulled her car up to Xavier's garage and cut the engine, then turned in the passenger seat to face him. Yep, still brooding. Sexy as sin in jeans, a gray sweater, and a little scruff, but brooding just the same. Poor, X. "It's just a surprise party.""I hate parties. And why did this have to be at my house?"She patted his arm. "Because my apartment's too small.""Smartass." Almost a smile. "Now I know why I never let you drive. You taking me all over Kingdom Come today had my life flashing before my eyes."All over Kingdom Come meant a quick trip to buy him a few ties and lunch afterward to allow his parents time to set up and welcome guests. To avoid laughing, she rolled her lips over her teeth. He was too damn cute when he sulked. Had she said broody? She meant pouty. "Good thing you got rid of my old deathtrap and bought me a car with extra airbags."He ran his tongue over his teeth. "Speaking of, there are no cars here, either." He turned and glanced at the circular
Counterbalance Chapter 42
"Peyton?""Open your eyes."He hadn't realized he'd closed them, but he did what she said.Her hand settled on his jaw, and her warm, delicate fingers stroked his cheek. The other caressed his back in a soothing, circular motion. "I love you."There. Yes, right there. Like she'd always done, she climbed inside his mind and ceased the chaos. Filled the dark, empty spaces.Keeping one hand on the headboard, he slid his other arm between her and the mattress and sunk his fingers in her hair. Gaze pinned to hers, he pulled out and gradually thrust back in. The pace was so measured there wasn't an inch of him that didn't suffer the torment. In awe, he repeated the motion, and knew this was what he'd been missing. This was the difference between mere physical release and having his whole system engaged. The result being sheer, unadulterated bliss.She closed her eyes and turned her face toward his arm. Her hot breath fanned his bicep as her chest rose and fell in a steady pant. He drop
Counterbalance Chapter 41
After they'd dropped off Joseph at Kate's apartment, Xavier glanced at Peyton in the backseat as his driver wove them through the dark city streets. She hadn't said much thus far, and her contemplative, lost expression was poking holes in his chest.He took his mask off and tossed it aside, glad to be rid of the thing. "Come over here."She turned her head and blinked as if she didn't understand.Concerned, he leaned over and wrapped an arm around her waist, depositing her sideways on his lap. He untied her mask and dropped it on the seat, then cupped her cheek. "Are you tired?""A little." She smiled as if to null her acknowledgement. "I had fun dancing with you.""Same here." He watched shadow and light play across her pretty face and got trapped by the dark navy of her eyes. "You and my father seemed to have quite the discussion.""Ah, yes." Her breathy laugh washed over him. "It would appear your mother is already planning our wedding."Not sure how to react, he studied her.
Counterbalance Chapter 40
"For your information, I was flirting my way through getting the photographer to delete the shots he'd taken of you and said ex." She raised her brows. "You're welcome."He stared at herhardbut his shoulders sank. After a moment, he glanced away and swallowed. "I'm sorry. I don't know where that came from.""You're the only man I'm interested in, X." His gaze jerked back to hers, and she smiled. "If we weren't surrounded by people, I'd show you."His chest quickly rose and fell, nostrils flaring. "I really want to kiss you right now." "Plenty of time later." She grinned. "Come on. They're getting dinner ready."The meal consisted of a veal or duck option, chosen by Elaine, and Peyton spent the entire hour imaging all the naughty things she'd be doing later while trying to hold a conversation with their tablemates. By the time Xavier had gotten through the speech she'd written for him and taken her hand for a dance, she was aching.Xavier tugged her to his chest, one arm around h
